Building Zimbabwe’s Health Data Commons

Digital public goods (DPGs), such as open source software (for example, District Health Information Software 2 (DHIS2), OpenMRS, and CommCare), open data standards, and AI models, have proven effective in improving disease surveillance, logistics management, and maternal health monitoring. In Zimbabwe, this open-source software already forms part of the national health information system, but its implementation remains fragmented with limited interoperability between systems used by the Ministry of Health and Child Care (MoHCC) and donor agencies and NGOs. In addition, there is inadequate investment in digital infrastructure, particularly in rural clinics; a shortage of digital skills among health workers and data managers; and an absence of open data policies and local innovation incentives stifles private-sector partnership.

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